Topic: patents

A patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday reveals Apple is actively researching methods to ensure a video's multi-channel audio is always played back correctly, no matter how a user holds the device.

An Apple invention filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes a method in which a single app provides multiple user interfaces that can be modified according to the type of device being used as a display.

In its ongoing litigation against Samsung, Apple has added five new patents to its claims, targeting both the company's new flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone, as well as the Google Now service for Android.

In the midst of a larger discussion with U.S. senators on international corporate taxes, Apple CEO Tim Cook took an aside to discuss another area of regulation where the iPhone maker would like to see changes: the United States' intellectual property protection environment.

An iPhone-driven e-wallet service from Apple could simplify checking out at the store by presenting users with options based on data such as their location, current balance, or applicable rewards cards.

An Apple patent filing discovered on Thursday describes a system in which a primary iOS device, such as an iPhone, remotely controls multiple secondary devices, which can also be iPhones, as slave flashes for the first handset's on-board camera.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday issued Apple a patent for an audio-based input system in which various noises made on a laptop's chassis are translated into actions, basically turning the computer into one large input device.

Apple on Tuesday was granted a utility patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering the glass-on-metal trackpad seen across the company's laptop lineup, with the award coming almost four months after the design rights were garnered for the same invention.

Google on Thursday was ordered to acquiesce to Apple's request for information regarding what methods the search giant is using to sift through internal documents related to Android, with the resulting data being part of a second U.S. patent infringement suit against Samsung.

A trio of Apple patent applications filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday reveals the intricacies of the company's latest input/output protocol for iOS devices: the Lightning connector.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday published an Apple patent describing an accessory akin to an advanced headphone splitter, which allows for independent volume changes, media controls and communication via an inline mic.

A pair of patent applications Apple filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reveal the company is working on unorthodox battery designs with curved cells and irregular shapes, suggesting slimmer, more shapely iOS devices could be on the horizon.

Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed on Tuesday that the transfer of a number of patents from Kodak to Apple has begun, with the iPhone maker taking ownership of several patents covering aspects of digital photography.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent for a dynamic communications system that automatically selects the best method of contacting another person, be it through voice, text or email, based on a given situation.

A patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday reveals Apple is working to make iOS devices more accessible for users with disabilities through an accessory framework that allows for non-touch input devices to interact with touchscreen user interfaces.

Apple v. Samsung presiding Judge Lucy Koh on Monday entered a case management order calling for a new trial to recalculate the $450.5 million she found may have been incorrectly awarded by a jury last August.

A notation in Apple's latest Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reveals the company has not recorded a $368 million court ruling that awarded VirnetX damages for patent infringement as a loss, and suggests a challenge to the decision is in the works.

A pair of patent filings discovered on Thursday reveal Apple is actively investigating the possibilities afforded by the iOS mobile platform's various wireless connectivity options, including the ability to interact with, and at times control, a Bluetooth-enabled automobile.